concubines

Ci'an Palace.

When Li Chen mentioned Xiao Qi, he couldn't help laughing, "...he is actually very smart, but sometimes he is very confused. Yesterday when he was reading a book, he came across a word he didn't understand, so he was embarrassed to ask me, so he deliberately told Jinger, Ask Jinger to ask."

Queen Mother Lan also laughed, "What an interesting child."

"Jing'er can only recognize a dozen characters. How can I remember it? Pressing the page to come to me, but forgetting which character it is, and calling back, 'Uncle Xiao Qi, which character do you not know? I forgot'... "

Li Chen followed Jing'er's example, and the Empress Dowager Lan couldn't help laughing out loud, saying: "Good Jing'er, he is such a clever kid, he just broke the stage for Uncle Qi."

Li Chen smiled and said: "He is always willing to help me. When he was in the northwest, he didn't know anything. He learned how to ride a horse in the Xishan Daying, but he left the customs and went to Yanluo Valley alone to find me. He didn't lose his way, he was such a small person, and he was not afraid of many Qiang people who were taller and more powerful than him... He was able to escape from Cheng Sijie, and he even took the tunnel of the Xinyuan King's Palace. exposed."

The Queen Mother Lan listened to him quietly, and said: "He is much stronger than many men in the world."

Li Chen nodded, "Don't hide it from grandma, the Si De case, my grandson is watching the news from the Northwest, and the Beijing-China affairs, Xiao Qi is watching."

Empress Dowager Lan was a little surprised at the moment, "He is a boy of seventeen or eighteen years old, and he still understands these messy relationships in the capital? Si De's case is deeply involved."

Li Chen said: "Even my grandson didn't expect that he ran into a maidservant who rescued Mrs. Xiasi by mistake, and followed this clue to find out a lot of things. Xiao Qi is careful and smart. There are some things that my grandson didn't think of, but he did." gone."

Queen Mother Lan asked casually: "I've always heard about this too, do you have a sense of proportion?"

The smile on Li Chen's face restrained a little, and after a long time, he nodded.

Empress Dowager Lan sighed softly, "It's all because of this position... the emperor has been slow to appoint a crown prince, heh, he has been emperor for nearly 50 years."

Li Chen frowned and said, "Grandmother...it's true that I didn't do well, and I left people with excuses for everything."

Empress Dowager Lan waved her hand indifferently, "I'm old, and I can't figure out political affairs, so I just like to talk to people. You bring that Xiao Qi here some other day, and I want to see for myself."

"Grandmother...Xiao Qi has a special status."

Queen Mother Lan recalled: "In the early years, your grandmother even saw Shui Linglong."

Li Chen was shocked.

Empress Dowager Lan said with a smile: "At first I was just curious, but when I saw it, it turned out that she is indeed a wonderful woman, and the children she gave birth to will not be bad."

Li Chen looked at the Empress Dowager Lan puzzledly, and the Empress Dowager Lan said leisurely: "Who told your grandmother to really think that the Emperor is infatuated with a woman from a brothel? The female side of the Shui family."

Li Chen didn't speak, and Empress Lan poked him on the head angrily, "Are you really asking your concubine to give up the dowry in a big way, stupid! People can't get enough of your jokes, grandma told you, give away things in your mansion Move quietly and don’t let outsiders know, isn’t that all right? You can’t wrong your princess, take out almost treasures from your own private treasury and send them over to make up for it, wouldn’t that be all right? Money and silver, I don’t think it’s necessary to calculate so clearly, it’s almost enough to ask the Ziyang uncle’s mansion to take some out.”

Li Chen smiled and said, "Grandson thanked grandma."

The Empress Dowager Lan looked at this child raised by herself lovingly. From his babbling to a stalwart young man, the Empress Dowager Lan said: "I won't keep you, just remember to bring Xiao Qi here sometime." .”

Li Chen stood up, "The grandson has retired."

The Empress Dowager Lan asked someone to send him off, Li Chen retreated and left, then turned around and saw her hair shining with silver light.

When Li Chen left Ci'an Palace, a young eunuch waited for him on the way out of the palace, and said: "Slave pays respects to His Royal Highness Chun Wang, Empress Empress heard that you are coming to the palace, please go to Jingyang Palace."

There was no expression on Li Chen's calm face. After a while, he said: "Okay, I know, you can go back first."

At this time, Qi Yunruo finally found out many gift lists, and the nuns in Miaoxin Nunnery only roughly remembered that Mrs. Si begged the Bodhisattva to bless the woman to give birth smoothly four years ago. At that time, Si Yuer was just pregnant or was about to give birth. Knowing that, he patiently collected all the gift books from January four years ago to two years later, and copied the lists one by one.

Qi Yunruo felt even more annoyed when he remembered that he would go to the Ji Mansion for a banquet tomorrow, and had to sort things out today. He shook his head and continued to copy the list.It seems that a lot of children were born in those two years. There were children born in King Jing’s Mansion and Prince Chun’s Mansion. Even the little princes and princesses were born in the palace. Qi Yunruo was devastated. He noticed that the mothers of these children were not recorded in the ceremony book Only a few said whether it was a concubine or a concubine.

It is not so easy to find out about the affairs of the women's families in various prefectures. Qi Yunruo first excluded some unimportant official families, and focused on those families with important ministers and honorable officials...

Half an hour later, Qi Yunruo stood up and went out to the training ground to ride a horse with his head downcast.

Jing'er liked to follow him very much. He was hugged by the guards on a pony and led him to walk slowly. Jing'er said excitedly "drive, drive, drive", and Qi Yunruo couldn't help but feel better. When he was stopped by the waiter and said that there was a letter from him, his mood suddenly dropped.

He knew who sent it.

The prince hasn't come back yet, Qi Yunruo went back to the bedroom and changed his clothes, left a note for the prince, and went out. Qi Suxiao asked him to meet him at a teahouse in the capital. When Qi Yunruo went, there were few people in the teahouse. The second courteously led him to the private room on the second floor.

Qi Yunruo pushed open the door, Ziyang Bo Qi Suxiao stood facing the window, Qi Yunruo went to the table and sat down, Qi Suxiao turned around, and said coldly: "Why, I even forgot about filial piety. Don't tell me?"

Qi Yunruo poured himself a cup of tea and looked at him silently.

This is no longer when Qi Yunruo was seven years old. He didn't know the grievances between his parents. , the Ziyang Bo Mansion that makes people fear for no reason.

"Uncle Qi," Qi Yunruo said, "we should have nothing to do with each other."

"Is it?"

Qi Suxiao sat down opposite Qi Yunruo. Qi Yunruo pushed another cup of tea over, and slowly said: "My household registration is now in the palace, and our father-son relationship has always existed in name only. What's the matter with you looking for me?"

"I heard you want Huishui Linglong's stuff."

When Qi Suxiao talked about Shui Linglong, his tone was too flat. It didn't seem like he was talking about the woman he had pursued, nor was he like saying that he was an enemy. The deep place will not be touched easily.

Qi Yunruo frowned and said, "That should be mine."

Qi Suxiao nodded, as if he wasn't surprised, but he looked at Qi Yunruo strangely, and he said slowly, "Well, it's yours."

Qi Yunruo felt even more weird in his heart, and even felt a little uneasy.

Qi Suxiao smiled, "You thought it was yours, but the emperor acquiesced that it was his compensation to Ziyang Bofu."

Qi Yunruo said: "But those are my mother's things, not the emperor's."

Qi Suxiao said: "What's the difference?"

Qi Yunruo looked at him, his teeth clenched unconsciously, Qi Suxiao said: "She is the emperor's woman, she never sees outsiders in Zhiya Building, and her things are all given by the emperor."

Qi Suxiao said coldly: "Uncle Ziyang's residence doesn't owe Shui Linglong anything." After speaking, he stood up and was about to leave the private room.

Qi Yunruo watched his back go away, and shouted without thinking: "But she died for you! She was still calling your name before she died! You know it! You must know it! In Qingzhi Alley, we The way mother looked at you... and the way you looked at her..." Qi Yunruo closed his eyes in pain, "Qi Suxiao, you know it all!"

Qi Suxiao's eyes were rarely embarrassed, but in just a moment, he opened the door abruptly and quickly disappeared from Qi Yunruo's sight.

Qi Yunruo stood up slowly, his eyes were cold.

In Jingyang Palace, the queen smiled and said: "The post of Changshi is of great importance, and you should not be appointed rashly. Now that your family is in troubled times, there should be a sensible person to plan for you."

"What does the queen mother mean?"

The queen beckoned, and a young man came out of the hall and knelt down to salute.

The queen said: "After returning from Shunhai, I have been asking for orders from this palace to take up a post in your mansion. I originally wanted to tell you that you should leave a long history... You are still too young to have served in the Ministry of Officials and households. After finishing the procedures, the Ministry took the official uniform and official seal back."

Li Chen said indifferently: "The head of the royal residence, Shi, was appointed by the master of the royal residence. Xiao Qi is worthy of this official position, and my ministers have not noticed anything wrong."

The queen said: "You always feel that it is a matter of your family. You princes and lords, the things around you are not trivial. It can be said that everyone pays attention to it... If you are just looking for obedient and sensible people, Shunhai is perfect. gone."

Zhou Shunhai kowtowed and said, "I am willing to serve the prince."

Li Chen said: "Mother, I heard that the fourth younger brother's mansion has not appointed a chief historian. If Mr. Zhou is willing, he can go to Yongwang's mansion."

The queen's phoenix eyes tightened, Li Chen stood up and saluted, "I still have important matters in the mansion, so I don't want to stay in the palace for a long time. After the matter is over, I will come to pay my respects to the queen."

"……Um."

After Li Chen left, Zhou Shunhai said: "Grandmother... the prince made it clear that he doesn't want to get close to our Zhou family."

The queen's originally gentle face had quickly turned down, she slapped her hands heavily on the table, "As soon as the queen mother came out of the mountain, even if the Lan family hadn't been completed, she was only living with an empty title, but she originally invested in the Zhou family and Yuan Everyone at home is starting to shake!"

Zhou Shunhai nodded and said, "Empress, what should we do?"

The queen closed her eyes, "Prince Chun will not give the Zhou family a chance to continue to be prosperous and rich, but with him, it will never be the turn of King Yong... Don't worry, there are people who are more impatient than us, just take a look , isn’t someone already jumping out?”

Zhou Shunhai said: "Could it be that the Empress has already guessed about the person behind Si De?"

The queen smiled softly, and the phoenix's eyes were full of sarcasm.

In fact, Li Chen also figured out who that person was after seeing the list that Qi Yunruo copied. He sent people out of the mansion, and he raised a horse in the suburbs of Beijing.

Li Chen said indifferently: "Three years ago, the eldest brother's side concubine Liu Shi gave birth to his second son. This Liu side concubine's status is low. That’s right, she’s Xiaojiabiyu from a wealthy family,” Li Chen recalled the life of this side concubine Liu, “She was from the capital, and she was about the same age as Si De’s young girl who died young.”

Qi Yunruo said: "The Liu family picked up that girl and brought her up."

Li Chen nodded, "Later Si De learned about this girl, Brother Dahuang took the opportunity to contact him and became Si De's new master."

Qi Yunruo said: "It's just that we don't have evidence...the Liu family..." Qi Yunruo said: "Let's investigate the Liu family!"

Li Chen was silent for a moment, and said: "The northwest side, maybe they have already heard some news."

Prince Chun's Mansion has a three-pronged approach, one Northwest, one Beijing Central, and one Sifu. Qi Yunruo was temporarily dragged out of this matter by Li Chen. Li Chen patted his face, "Tomorrow you go to the banquet properly. Leave it alone."

Qi Yunruo nodded, and looked at Li Chen calmly with a smile.

At night, the two of them hugged each other to sleep, Qi Yunruo suddenly sighed: "My lord, why didn't the emperor make you the crown prince?"

Li Chen looked down at him, Qi Yunruo said earnestly: "I really don't understand, you are the eldest son of today, you have always been virtuous, why haven't you been established as the crown prince for so long?"

Li Chen smiled and said, "Why must it be me?"

Qi Yunruo pursed his lips, and said after a while, "Who else would it be if it wasn't you?"

Li Chen remembered his always blind confidence in himself, smiled and shook his head, but Qi Yunruo said: "It is precisely because the emperor did not appoint a crown prince, but the other princes have already regarded you as a target. I can't see you doing meritorious service, and I can't see you being rewarded by the emperor. Everyone has been targeting you."

Li Chen said leisurely: "Even if I am crowned prince, I am still a target."

"But if that's the case, what you do is justified. Your status is higher than that of several princes, and you can act on top of them."

Xiao Qi always sees things so clearly, Li Chen rubbed Qi Yunruo's face with his finger, Qi Yunruo sighed again: "My lord, now you are just a lord, and you were framed like this after making a contribution. In the future, your brother We are enthroned as emperors, and we will not let you go."

"I won't lose." Li Chen held Xiao Qi tightly in his arms, with a smile on his face, but a coldness in his eyes, "Xiao Qi, there won't be that day."

On the second day, Qi Yunruo put on the red Luo official uniform, sat in a small sedan chair for four people, and left Chunwang Mansion to go to Ji Shangshu Mansion for a banquet. Shaking his head, he felt that his hair was bound and numb, so he had to grit his teeth all the way to Ji's mansion.Today is the official day off. When Qi Yunruo got off the sedan chair, he saw a lot of sedan chairs set up in the carriages and horses. They probably came to celebrate Brother Ji’s safe return. The official position has only been promoted by half, but the duty is not only to read to the emperor, but to participate in important national affairs such as the drafting of imperial edicts and imperial examinations.

The academic officers of the Hanlin Academy have little power, and they have the same power to listen to the news as the officials serving in Yushitai, and no first-rank official dares to underestimate them.

Qi Yunruo got off the sedan chair and was greeted in person by the steward of the Ji Mansion. Qi Yunruo looked around curiously. Ji Hansong is a poor student who only started a family in recent years. When his daughter was accused of being the side concubine of King Chun, he was not even a servant. In the past few years, he has been promoted to Minister of the Ministry of War. His mansion was purchased by the Yue family in the early years, and it has been expanded several times, and now it looks decent.

When Ji Huan saw Qi Yunruo from a distance, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up. Qi Yunruo looked at him sideways, and was about to call out "Brother Ji" when he looked at the butler beside him, but held back again, and ran towards him with a smile.

Qi Yunruo walked up to Ji Huan, and made a playful bow, "I have seen Bachelor Ji."

Ji Huan couldn't help laughing, and poked his forehead helplessly with his slender fingers. Qi Yunruo watched the housekeeper leave and there was no one around, so he stepped forward and hugged him, "Brother Ji, I finally saw you."

Ji Huan patted Qi Yunruo on the back, took his hand and said: "Come on, first go to my room to rest and have a cup of tea."

"it is good."

The small courtyard that Ji Huan lives in looks like it has just been repaired, the courtyard is lush with trees, and there is a big urn where water lilies are planted. The lotus has not yet bloomed, but now it is just green leaves. The green leaves make people change their mood when they see it. good.Ji Huan led Qi Yunruo into the inner room, and Qi Yunruo saw Ji Huan's new official uniform, which was carefully ironed by the maids and folded up.

The two maidservants rushed towards Qi Yunruo, Qi Yunruo said: "Brother Ji, tell them to go out, let's talk."

Ji Huan waved his hand to call people out, and poured tea for Qi Yunruo himself. Qi Yunruo looked at the decorations in Ji Huan's house and asked, "Does Brother Ji like the things I sent the day before yesterday?"

Ji Huan said: "Well, I like that inkstone very much. It's on my desk now. The wine is also good. Yesterday's family banquet, my father opened an jar. It is mellow and fragrant. Drinking it is sweet and has a lot of stamina."

Qi Yunruo couldn't help telling Ji Huan about the things in Xinyuan Kingdom. He was sometimes excited and sometimes a little disappointed. Only now could Ji Huan connect things together and sighed: "You are so lucky."

Qi Yunruo said: "I did encounter a lot of dangers, but I was safe and sound every time. I think maybe there is a god protecting me."

Ji Huan said: "But it's really thanks to you. If you hadn't made trouble underground in the palace, I wouldn't have remembered those spies from Xinyuan Kingdom. Later, we made an agreement with Cheng Sijie that he would take back the spies within half a year. We also put back those caught in the customs.”

Qi Yunruo frowned and said, "But would he take everyone back so honestly?"

"Of course not, but one less is also less."

Qi Yunruo nodded, and said again: "When I left Xinyuan Kingdom that day, if your carriage hadn't come and those officials had to give way, I might have been detained on the spot."

Ji Huan also recalled the scene of that day, and said with a smile: "Anyway, I am not far behind, I can see you when you are caught, and I can bring you back." The most important clause is that in the future, when Xinyuan Kingdom sells grain to the Qiang people, it must be submitted to the imperial court, and it can only be sold after the imperial court approves.

The two talked for a while, and the maid in front came and called several times, so Qi Yunruo had no choice but to follow Ji Huan to the banquet.

Ji Huan said: "Most of the people my father invites today are his old friends. There are officials from the Ministry of War, father's same age or old friends. Madam's Liberal Arts scholar is very dignified, and his people are always upright. We don't have to talk to them. "

Qi Yunruo nodded, Ji Huan said: "There are also my two brothers," he lowered his voice, "It's nothing to worry about."

Qi Yunruo laughed, "Are they not as smart as Brother Ji?"

Ji Huan smiled conceitedly, "It's not that they are not smart, but they are stupid."

If his two sons were not so stupid, Ji Hansong realized that the Ji family would most likely end up in his own generation, so he turned his hope back to Ji Huan.

There was a banquet in the front yard, and Ji Huan directly took Qi Yunruo to sit beside him. Anyway, the official status of the Chun Palace is aloof, and it would not be appropriate to put it on the side of a sixth-rank official of the same level as him. The Bachelor of Arts coughed lightly, and said: "Who is this?"

If Qi Yun looked at Ji Huan, Ji Huan said indifferently: "Grandfather, this is Mr. Shi, the Chief of Prince Chun's residence, and also Qi Yuze, Huan's best friend."

Qi Yuze stood up and cupped his hands, "I've seen the Bachelor of Arts."

The Bachelor of Arts frowned and said, "This is the man who was with King Chun when he sent troops?"